"Alessia," she heard his voice yell somewhere overher head, and for a moment, relief washed over her. Closing her eyes, sheignored everything else.
When she opened her eyes again, she was being shaken.Staring directly at her, Jax’s eyes were like two black bolts oflightning—chaotic and dangerous.
"Alessia, so help me God, if you close your eyesagain…" Kicking the cabin door shut behind him, Jax stomped across theliving room. "Of all the dumb shit you do…" Jax continued to grumblealoud as he laid her on the couch before stepping back and walking to thebathroom.
Blinking a few times, Alessia tried to sit up despite thelightheaded feeling swamping her senses.
“Do not move,” Jax’s heavy hand on her shoulder kept her inplace as he walked around the sofa, carrying a chair in his other hand.
Setting the chair down in front of the sofa, Jax brushedsome of her hair from her forehead to the side. Alessia wasn't sure where tolook as he leaned forward, examining her head. Centering her line of sight, shestared at the corded muscles of his neck, watching them flex and move with eachmotion as he continued to examine her.
Prompting her to turn on her side, he hissed between histeeth as he inspected the wound on her hip and thigh. “I swear, I’m starting tothink trouble just follows you.”
With her dizziness finally fading, she gave a dry laugh."If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all."
Lifting her hand at the wet feeling trailing near her eye,Alessia sat up with alarm at the blood glistening on her fingers.
“What did I say?” Jax warned as he pressed the cloth withperoxide to her cut. “Don’t move. It’s not deep, so don’t worry.
“But I’m bleeding from the head!” she cried.
“Yeah and about two other spots I can see,” he smiledmirthlessly, pointing to her thigh.
There was a long thin tear in her jeans just above her knee.Dark red blood stained the denim, and she could see her torn flesh through thegash in the material. One she realized the cut was there, Alessia could swearshe could now feel the stinging pain of a cut. Lifting up her shirt partially,Jax scooted his chair closer as he leaned into view yet another gash on her hipjust above her jean’s waistband. With her lips tightly sealed together, Alessiacouldn’t help the small sound of pain that escaped her throat as he proddedgently at the wound with peroxide.
“Mmm,” he grumbled at her whimper. “That’s what happens whenI find you nearly unconscious in a bed of nails and screws.”
Taping a large square bandage to her hip, Jax leaned back inhis seat and eyed her leg.
“This one looks like it’s bleeding the most,” coolly, hegrabbed her by the knee, the hot warmth of his hand immediately searing throughthe denim. Pulling her leg toward him, Jax set it partially over his lap as hegently pried apart the material to see better. “We are going to have to slidedown your jeans in order for me to get to it.”
Alessia flinched, accidentally bucking her leg on his thigh.The brief look of surprise on Jax’s face quickly mutated to anger.
"Are you serious right now?" His deep voice feltlike a thundering drum. "Tell me, Alessia, just what do I have to do toconvince you that I'm not some rapist?"
Guilt lanced through her at the accusation. Sitting up, sheopened her mouth to try and explain.
“Listen carefully,” Jax’s hand on her knee tightened. “I’mnot that asshole you’re running from or anyone else who hurt you. So, stoptreating me like a fucking predator.”
Shaking her head, she tried to explain. “I’m sorry, I just…”
Holding up his hand, he cut her off. “Save it.” Gesturing toher jeans, he gave her an expectant look. “Just make it so I can get to thecut, so you can stop bleeding on my couch,” he added coldly.
There was no trace of warmth and Jax’s eyes, just disgustedanger. A familiar sense of emptiness spread throughout her body, a feeling shehadn’t felt since back in that trailer park. Avoiding his eyes, sheconcentrated on unbuttoning and sliding down her pants. Bunching the materialpast her knees, she had to bite her tongue when Jax grabbed the material.Effortlessly, he slid the jeans off her legs and tossed them on the armrest.
Doing her best to discreetly hide her underwear with herhands, she ignored the goosebumps rising on her skin as he picked up her legand set it back on his lap. Never in her life has she felt more self-consciousthan this moment. All Jax had to do was move those obsidian eyes up just a fewinches up her legs and he would see her green underwear and chubby thighs.Clasping her hands firmly together over the apex of her thighs, she forcedherself to focus on the stinging pain of the cut instead of the movement of hishand on her bare flesh.
Eventually, the weight of the silence between them becametoo much. "Tomorrow, I will go out first thing and fix the shelf in thescattered parts," she vowed.
Wrapping the gauze around her now clean-cut, Jax didn't lookup as he answered. "Don't worry about it, I'll do it."
His tone was even almost flat. It scared her. It scared herworse than his anger, he sounded tired—tired of her.
“At least let me make dinner tonight,” she tried, hoping itdidn’t sound like she was begging, though in a way she supposed she was.
Taking a final glance at his handiwork, Jax finally lookedup at her. “Just relax, I’ll make dinner.”
His eyes felt obligatory, and his voice sounded mechanical.The ache in her chest felt as if it was being ripped open, the emptiness thathad been forming inside spread through her like a plague. Teary-eyed, shewatched him walk away with his medical kit and the chair in one hand. She wasmaking this man's quiet, peaceful life a living hell she realized. The bad luckthat seemed to overshadow her world was now casting its gloom onto his — a manwho only tried to help her.
